White House website pins problems on Congress

If information on the White House website is out of date, blame it on Congress.

That's the message users get when visiting whitehouse.gov, and it dovetails well with message President Obama has been conveying as he speaks about the government shutdown.

"Due to Congress’s failure to pass legislation to fund the government, the information on this web site may not be up to date," an alert on the White House's site reads. "Some submissions may not be processed, and we may not be able to respond to your inquiries." The White House Office of Management and Budget's website offers a similar message.

Other federal websites are completely down, but don't get nearly as political in their explanations. The Census Bureau's website says that its "sites, services, and all online survey collection requests will be unavailable until further notice" because of "the lapse in government funding." NASA's website has a similar message, adding: "We sincerely regret this inconvenience."

One federal government website that is running -- albeit with some difficulties -- is HealthCare.gov.